Easter in Peru or as we traditionally know it, Holy Week in Peru is one of the most important and beautiful moments we have, since being a religious holiday for us, it is a time of reflection and at the same time of spiritual renewal that is accompanied by celebration and party throughout the week, live this experience with Auri Peru from the beautiful processions , customs and traditions, to the Easter food in Peru.
For those travelers looking for a complete experience of cultural emotions and to feel the traditions of a belief that is inherited for generations, this time of year is the ideal to come to Peru.
Easter week in peru
1.- WHEN IS EASTER IN PERU?
During 2024, it is already scheduled that the Easter in Peru or Holy Week in Peru will be celebrated between March 24th to 30th, a complete week that gives us a lot of celebration and reflection, as it commemorates important moments in the Catholic religion such as the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Although there are many places where the mix of culture is felt more strongly, such as Lima, Arequipa, Cusco and Ayacucho, which makes Easter in Peru feel different, with a greater symbolic and spiritually enriching meaning.
It is also important that you understand that this season of Easter in Peru is considered a very popular date and many people visit Peru, so you must previously secure your hotel reservation, entrance tickets for tourist places such as Machu Picchu and more, remember that Auri Peru can help you with this.
Easter festival in Peru
2.- HOW DO THEY CELEBRATE EASTER IN PERU?
Throughout this week many important activities are carried out throughout the country, always respecting this sequence:
- 03/24 – PALM SUNDAY: The main activity of this day focuses on the temples of the cities, where believers come with palm leaf decorations for the priest to bless and take home.
- 03/25 – HOLY MONDAY: The main thing is experienced in Cusco, where the spiritual patron of the city, El Señor de los Temblores (lord of earthquakes), goes out in procession to bless the city.
- 03/26 – 03/27 – TUESDAY AND HOLY WEDNESDAY: People can go to different churches to attend masses and blessings by priests.
- 03/28 – HOLY THURSDAY: This day one of the most important moments is celebrated and it is the last dinner, so the tradition is that on this day you can eat the 12 dishes that consist of soups, main dishes and desserts with ingredients natural from the area.
Easter food in cusco
- 03/29 – GOOD FRIDAY: This day is a reflection day because it is remembered as the day of the death of Jesus Christ. Although there are also people who are in Cusco and can travel to the Calca sector, within the Sacred Valley, for the beautiful procession of the Señor del Santo Sepulcro.
- 03/30 – GLORY SATURDAY: The celebration begins in the cities, from the decorated streets waiting for the long-awaited resurrection of Jesus Christ.
On March 31, the celebration of Easter Sunday begins early with fireworks because the resurrection of Jesus Christ is proclaimed. It is also common to see people take to the streets to enjoy Easter food in Peru.
3.- HOLY WEEK IN THE CITIES OF PERU
Each city has a particular way of celebrating Easter in Peru, the main ones are:
- Easter in Lima Peru: Our experience in the Peruvian capital is quite emblematic due to the importance it has, here the main attraction that we can highlight is the famous visit to the 7 churches including the Cathedral of Lima, Monastery of San Francisco and its catacombs, it is an experience that can be enjoyed with the whole family and make it special to be able to enjoy Easter in Lima Peru.
- Easter in Ayacucho: This destination is known for having the best Easter in Peru since its people are very traditional and present us with flower carpets, fireworks, mule caravan and folkloric music through the streets that make it very special. Here we focus on many activities such as the procession of Jesus Christ illuminated only by candlelight, so it is also important to know that it is a city that has a large number of churches, 33 churches to be exact.
Easter in Ayacucho
After this we move on to the celebration in which the traditional markets are completely filled with colors, crafts, music and food for all visitors. It is also common to see a paso horse show..
- Easter in Cusco: Our Easter tradition in Cusco begins with Palm Sunday in which people go to churches to bless the crosses made with palm leaves so that they are blessed and prepares us for the most important day of the entire week which is Holy Monday, the day on which the spiritual patron of the city, El Señor de los Temblores (lord of earthquakes) goes out in procession among people carrying the city’s own flower, Ñucchu (an intense reddish flower) to decorate the streets and finally receive the blessing, this devotion is inherited between generations and is still maintained to this day.
Easter in Cusco
The rest of the week we have traditional activities, however the privilege is that if you spend Holy Monday in Cusco you can take advantage of Holy Tuesday or Wednesday to visit Machu Picchu and be back in time to enjoy the delicious Easter food in Peru.
Easter food in Peru
- Easter in Arequipa: This is a traditional city due to the customs of Holy Week in Peru, however in one of its nearby towns, Paucarpata, is where Holy Week in Peru has a different ending since they have the tradition that Easter Sunday is the The town makes an Effigy that symbolizes Judas and then can set it on fire, which represents the punishment and justice that was imposed on him for his betrayal. The best place to observe this is from the Yanahuara viewpoint.
4.- WHAT DO PEOPLE IN PERU EAT FOR EASTER?
Everyone knows how popular Peruvian cuisine is, but can you imagine how different the gastronomy is during Holy Week in Peru?? Auri Perú shows you a little about how it is made.
We start by knowing that eating meat is not allowed during the celebration of Easter in Peru or Holy Week in Peru, this is due to a symbolism between meat and the body of Jesus Christ in addition to also representing the 40 days that he was in the desert with abstinence from food, both are mainly religious beliefs. For this reason all dishes only contain chicken, fish or vegetables, however, the variety that Peruvians can obtain only from these ingredients is infinite.
As a way to commemorate the traditional and historical Last Dinner of Jesus Christ with his disciples, in Peru the tradition of preparing and enjoying 12 different dishes was adopted (the idea is that 6 are savory dishes and 6 are sweet dishes), each one with its own history, among these we can taste corn soup, shrimp chupe, pumpkin soup, broad bean kapchi, ceviche, fried fish, peach stew, rice with milk, purple mazamorra, maizillos, sweet empanada and others.
Easter food in Cusco Peru
Now you know everything you need about the celebration of Easter in Peru and you are ready to start your planning. Auri Perú has many program and activity options ready for you that will make your trip completely unforgettable, don’t hesitate and contact us now.
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